Princess Catharina Amalia and Princess Alexia of the Netherlands ‘targeted in murder plot’

By James Crisp

A suspected far-right extremist has been arrested over an alleged plot to murder two people Dutch princessesincluding the future queen of the Netherlands.

Prosecutors believe the man, 33, was targeted Princess Catharina-Amalia22, the heir apparent to the Dutch throne, and her sister Princess Alexia20, the second in line.

The suspect was reportedly found with two axes engraved with “Alexia,” “Mossad” (the name of Israel’s intelligence agency) and Sieg Heil, a verbal greeting used by the Nazis.

According to Dutch authorities, he is also said to have had a handwritten note with the words ‘Amalia’, ‘Alexia’ and ‘massacre’ when he was arrested in The Hague in February.

The suspect will be arraigned on Monday morning for a later court hearing. Authorities have not revealed a possible motive.

The princesses feared to be targeted are the eldest two daughters of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Máxima, 54. They have a younger sister, Princess Ariane, who is 19.

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Despite the threats, the royal family celebrated King’s Day on Monday by attending a street party, meeting the public and skating.

The day is a national holiday marking the birthday of the Dutch monarch, King Willem-Alexander, 59 years old.

It is not the first time that there are fears for the safety of Princess Catharina-Amalia. In 2020, she went into hiding after a man threatened her with rape and violence in a series of messages.

Two years later, she had to leave her student house in Amsterdam due to concerns for her safety. She returned to the heavily guarded royal palace in The Hague.

Queen Máxima said at the time: “She cannot live in Amsterdam and she cannot actually go outside [the palace]. It has enormous consequences for her life.”

Princess Catharina-Amalia, who speaks fluent Spanish, fled the country to live in Madrid for a year, fearing she would be targeted for kidnapping by drug cartels.

She and Mark Rutte, the then Dutch prime minister, had been mentioned in intercepted communications between gang members, indicating they could be a target.

Ridouan Taghi, once dubbed Europe’s most powerful drug lord, denied any plot against the princess before being sentenced to life in prison for five murders after the Marengo trial in 2024.

Before his conviction, Taghi allegedly ordered three murders related to the trial, including a lawyer, a TV journalist and the brother of a key witness.

The gang attacks led to fears that Taghi was still running his criminal empire from prison and that the Netherlands had become a narco-state, with powerful gangs waging war.

Princess Catharina-Amalia, known as Princess of Orange, returned to the Netherlands in 2024 after measures were taken to ensure her safety. After her return, she said: “I miss normal life, the life of a student. Walking on the street, going to a store.”

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2026